The Background.
So. The story goes that I - not too long ago - came right out as to say that I was not a fan of the Apple Watch because I had no interest in wearing another watch any time soon. I had fully embraced the idea that watches had no place in my life now that I keep a smartphone close to my person at all times.
Flash forward to the recent holiday season where I was given a Pebble Time Steel and instantly fell in love with the whole smartwatch craze.
Notifications! To My Wrist!
My favorite thing about having a smartwatch is the fact that I don't need to pull my phone out of my pocket every time I receive an email, text message, Facebook notification, etc. The joy of being able to quickly glance at the watch to determine if said notification requires an immediate response has already saved me a tonne of time over the past couple of weeks. I've also set up more reminders for various household and work-related tasks that I normally relied on my smartphone to handle.
Bluetooth Has a Great Range.
I'm impressed with how far-reaching Bluetooth can be. I have now started leaving my phone in various locations around my home and the watch still manages to pick up notifications sent to it without a problem. I've only experienced one problem with the Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) not syncing with the watch for a short period of time which required a hard reboot of the watch. Other than that, it's been near flawless.
Watchfaces Are Fun!
Over the holiday I used a Darth Vader Ugly Christmas sweater watch face. Not everyone found it as humorous as I did, but it was the perfect bit of festive joy I needed to carry around with me.
Final verdict. Wiping Off This Egg.
Pebble Time Steel is a stupendous investment. The always-on LED screen makes it easy to check the time without physically interacting with the watch, and the battery life lasts for several days at a time. I've averaged about 5-6 days of moderate use before needing to charge the watch.
I wear it to bed and it tracks my sleep, too. Checking out my sleeping habits have been a great addition to my overall health plan. Keeping up on the winks is key to living healthy!
So, I'm wiping this egg off my face for good. I used to wear watches full time and I'm now back on the bandwagon. Smartwatches are a dime a dozen, so if you have a favourite that you'd like to gush over, feel free to drop a comment below!
P.S.
The gamer in me must admit that I installed a few, simple games on the watch. The Flappy Bird clone named "Tiny Bird" is a pretty decent time waster. (Do you see what I did there?)
